Chrysanthemum plant named ‘Caprice Pink’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of  Chrysanthemum  plant named ‘Caprice Pink’, characterized by its compact, upright, outwardly spreading and rounded plant habit; freely branching habit; dense and full plant habit; uniform, freely and early flowering habit; and large semi-double-type inflorescences with light pink to white-colored ray florets.

Botanical designation: Chrysanthemum×morifolium.

Cultivar denomination: ‘CAPRICE PINK’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum plant, botanically known as Chrysanthemum×morifolium, and hereinafter referred to by the name ‘Caprice Pink’.

The new Chrysanthemum plant is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Oostnieuwkerke, Belgium. The objective of the breeding program is to create new freely flowering Chrysanthemum plants with unique and attractive ray floret coloration.

The new Chrysanthemum plant originated from a cross-pollination made by the Inventor in Oostnieuwkerke, Belgium in October, 2002 of a proprietary selection of Chrysanthemum×morifolium identified as code number GE 94 3639PALI, not patented, as the female, or seed, parent with a proprietary selection of Chrysanthemum×morifolium identified as code number CB 98 0175VEPU, not patented. The new Chrysanthemum plant was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a flowering plant from within the progeny of the stated cross-pollination in a controlled greenhouse environment in Oostnieuwkerke, Belgium in September, 2003.

Asexual reproduction of the new Chrysanthemum plant by vegetative cuttings was first conducted in a controlled greenhouse environment in Oostnieuwkerke, Belgium in January, 2004. Asexual reproduction by cuttings has shown that the unique features of this new Chrysanthemum plant are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Plants of the new Chrysanthemum have not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environment such as temperature, daylength and light intensity, without, however, any variance in genotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of ‘Caprice Pink’. These characteristics in combination distinguish ‘Caprice Pink’ as a new and distinct Chrysanthemum cultivar:

-   -   1. Compact, upright, outwardly spreading and rounded plant         habit.     -   2. Freely branching habit; dense and full plant habit.     -   3. Uniform, freely and early flowering habit.     -   4. Large semi-double-type inflorescences with light pink to         white-colored ray florets.

Plants of the new Chrysanthemum differ from the female parent selection in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum are more rounded than and not         as upright as plants of the female parent selection.     -   2. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum and the female parent         selection differ in ray floret color as plants of the female         parent selection have lavender-colored ray florets.

Plants of the new Chrysanthemum differ from the male parent selection in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum have lighter green-colored         leaves than plants of the male parent selection.     -   2. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum and the male parent selection         differ in ray floret color as plants of the male parent         selection have purple-colored ray florets.

Plants of the new Chrysanthemum can be compared to plants of Chrysanthemum×morifolium ‘Yoroxanne’, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 11,982. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Oostnieuwkerke, Belgium, plants of the new Chrysanthemum differed from plants of ‘Yoroxanne’ in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum were more rounded than plants         of ‘Yoroxanne’.     -   2. Stems of plants of the new Chrysanthemum were more flexible         than and not as brittle as stems of plants of ‘Yoroxanne’.     -   3. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum and ‘Yoroxanne’ differed in         ray floret color as plants of ‘Yoroxanne’ had white-colored ray         florets.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPH

The accompanying photograph illustrates the overall appearance of the new Chrysanthemum plant. This photograph shows the colors as true as it is reasonably possible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colors in the photograph may differ slightly from the color values cited in the detailed botanical description which accurately describe the colors of the new Chrysanthemum plant. The photograph comprises a side perspective view of a typical flowering plant of ‘Caprice Pink’ grown in a container.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The aforementioned photograph and following observations and measurements describe plants grown in 19-cm containers in an outdoor nursery in Oostnieuwkerke, Belgium during the summer and autumn under conditions and practices which approximate those generally used in commercial production. During the production of the plants, day temperatures ranged from 25° C. to 30° C. and night temperatures ranged from 15° C. to 20° C. Plants were 15 weeks old when the photograph and description were taken. In the following description, color references are made to The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, 2005 Edition, except where general terms of ordinary dictionary significance are used.

-   Botanical classification: Chrysanthemum×morifolium ‘Caprice Pink’. -   Parentage:     -   -   Female, or seed, parent.—Proprietary selection of             Chrysanthemum×morifolium identified as code number GE 94             3639PALI, not patented.         -   Male, or pollen, parent.—Proprietary selection of             Chrysanthemum×morifolium identified as code number CB 98             0175VEPU, not patented. -   Propagation:     -   -   Type.—Terminal vegetative cuttings.         -   Time to initiate roots, summer.—About 14 days at             temperatures of about 20° C.         -   Time to initiate roots, winter.—About 20 days at             temperatures of about 20° C.         -   Time to produce a rooted young plant, summer.—About 30 days             at temperatures of about 20° C.         -   Time to produce a rooted young plant, winter.—About 40 days             at temperatures of about 20° C.         -   Root description.—Fine, fibrous; light brown in color.         -   Rooting habit.—Freely branching; moderately dense. -   Plant description:     -   -   Appearance.—Perennial semi-double-type Chrysanthemum;             compact plant habit with stems upright and outwardly             spreading giving a uniformly rounded appearance to the             plant; very freely branching habit, about 25 primary lateral             branches develop, each primary lateral branch with multiple             secondary branches; pinching enhances lateral branch             development; dense and full plant habit; strong and             moderately vigorous growth habit.         -   Plant height.—About 35 cm.         -   Plant width.—About 50 cm.         -   Lateral branches.—Length: About 25 cm. Diameter: About 2 mm             to 3 mm. Internode length: About 2 cm. Strength: Strong.             Texture: Pubescent; longitudinally ridged. Color: Close to             144A.         -   Leaves.—Arrangement: Alternate, simple. Length: About 2.5 cm             to 5 cm. Width: About 2 cm to 3 cm. Apex: Rounded to             cuspidate. Base: Attenuate. Margin: Palmately lobed and             serrate, sinuses between lateral lobes divergent to             parallel. Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Slightly             pubescent and rough. Color: Developing leaves, upper             surface: Close to 137C. Developing leaves, lower surface:             Close to 137D. Fully expanded leaves, upper surface: Close             to N137C; venation, close to 148C. Fully expanded leaves,             lower surface: Close to 147B; venation, close to 147B to             147C. Petiole: Length: About 1 cm. Diameter: About 2 mm.             Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Pubescent. Color, upper             surface: Close to 146C. Color, lower surface: Close to 146D. -   Inflorescence description:     -   -   Appearance.—Semi-double-type inflorescence form;             inflorescences borne on terminals above foliage; disc and             ray florets arranged acropetally on a capitulum.         -   Fragrance.—Faintly fragrant, pungent.         -   Flowering response.—Under natural season conditions, plants             flower mid-September in Belgium.         -   Postproduction longevity.—Inflorescences maintain good color             and substance for about 35 days in an outdoor nursery;             inflorescences persistent.         -   Quantity of inflorescences.—About 20 inflorescences develop             per lateral branch.         -   Inflorescence bud.—Height: About 5 mm. Diameter: About 1 cm.             Shape: Globular. Color: Between 144A and 137C.         -   Inflorescence size.—Diameter: About 5 cm. Depth (height):             About 3 cm. Disc diameter: About 2 cm. Receptacle diameter:             About 3 mm. Receptacle height: About 2.5 mm to 3 mm.             Receptacle color: Close to 144B.         -   Ray florets.—Length: About 1.5 cm to 2.2 cm. Width: About             6 mm. Shape: Oval. Apex: Rounded. Base: Attenuate. Margin:             Entire. Aspect: Mostly flat. Texture, upper and lower             surfaces: Smooth, glabrous. Number of ray florets per             inflorescence: About 150 arranged in about eight whorls.             Color: When opening, upper and lower surfaces: Close to             N155B overlain with close to 56C. Fully opened, upper and             lower surfaces: Between N199D to N155D; color becoming             closer to N199D with development.         -   Disc florets.—Length: About 3 mm. Diameter: About 0.5 mm to             1 mm. Shape: Tubular, elongated; apices acute. Number of             disc florets per inflorescence: About 50 to 75. Color: Apex:             Close to 144C. Mid-section: Close to 5B. Base: Close to             145D.         -   Phyllaries.—Number of phyllaries per inflorescence: About 25             arranged in two or three whorls. Length: About 4 mm to 6 mm.             Width: About 2 mm to 3 mm. Shape: Ovate. Apex: Rounded.             Base: Rounded to truncate. Margin: Entire. Texture, upper             and lower surfaces: Smooth, glabrous. Color, upper surface:             Close to 137A. Color, lower surface: Close to N137B.         -   Peduncles.—Length, terminal peduncle: About 4 cm. Length,             fourth peduncle: About 6 cm. Length, seventh peduncle: About             8 cm. Diameter: About 2 mm. Angle: About 30° from vertical.             Strength: Moderately strong. Texture: Slightly pubescent.             Color: Close to 146B.         -   Reproductive organs.—Androecium: Not observed. Gynoecium:             Not observed.         -   Seed/fruit.—Seed and fruit production have not been             observed. -   Disease/pest resistance: Resistance to pathogens and pests common to     Chrysanthemums has not been observed on plants grown under     commercial conditions. -   Garden performance: Plants of the new Chrysanthemum have     demonstrated excellent garden performance and will tolerate     temperatures ranging from about 0° C. to about 45° C. 

1. A new and distinct Chrysanthemum plant named ‘Caprice Pink’ as illustrated and described. 